SOL committee gets 3 new Peninsula members

Two Peninsula lawmakers and a Williamsburg community leader were named to a new bipartisan committee aimed at reforming the state's Standards of Learning system.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Monday that state Sen. John Miller, D-Newport News; Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton; and William White, vice president of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, had been named to the committee.

The committee has 34 members — lawmakers, retired educators, business leaders and university professors.

During the past General Assembly session, legislators worked together to reduce the amount of SOL tests administered, as teachers, students and parents have argued that SOL requirements hinder efforts to focus on reading and math.

"Virginia's education system is one of the best in the world, and continues to grow stronger every day," McAuliffe said. "I am proud that during the 2014 legislative session, my administration and the General Assembly worked together in a bipartisan way to make significant progress on one of my top priorities — reforming the Standards of Learning. This is the first step in ensuring that our education system works for Virginia's students, teachers and families."

"While we have already reduced the amount of SOL tests, the real work begins with enacting reforms to our educational system that will prepare our students for jobs of the 21st century," McAuliffe said. "I look forward to working with this group to make Virginia a leader in creativity and innovation in the classroom."

The committee will bring recommendations before the General Assembly and Board of Education on how to reform the SOL tests.

"This committee has the opportunity to truly shape the next generation of Virginia's Standards of Learning," said Secretary of Education Anne Holton. "The membership represents diverse perspectives from around the commonwealth. I am confident that the committee will develop both short-term and long-term recommendations to better align our education system with the needs of the 21st-century economy."